Kings Hockey Team

The rift between the Kings and Rob Blake has gotten so bad that the star defenseman has voluntarily relinquished his captaincy. Dave Taylor, the Kings' general manager, said Blake approached club officials prior to the Kings' first exhibition game a week ago in Phoenix and his request was honored. "The Kings' first priority is to keep Rob Blake in a King uniform for the foreseeable future," said Taylor in a statement.

Dressed to ward off the winter chill on a bright, clear day in lower Manhattan, their hearts in their throats, the Kings stood rapt Tuesday at the site of the World Trade Center tragedy. John P. Codiglia, a deputy inspector for the New York Police Department and their guide for the day, detailed the events of Sept. 11 and the aftermath. He told them of the recent discovery of the badly decomposed body of a fallen comrade.

Andy Murray, who never met a saying, motto, slogan or mantra he didn't like, draws the line at one used by every incoming leader since Joshua fought the battle of Jericho: "All jobs are open." As bad as the Kings were last season, and at 32-45-5 they were bad enough to get Larry Robinson fired and Murray hired as coach, some jobs already will be filled when training camp begins with physical examinations today and skating Sunday at Iceoplex in North Hills.

The rift between the Kings and Rob Blake has gotten so bad that the star defenseman has voluntarily relinquished his captaincy. Dave Taylor, the Kings' general manager, said Blake approached club officials prior to the Kings' first exhibition game a week ago in Phoenix and his request was honored. "The Kings' first priority is to keep Rob Blake in a King uniform for the foreseeable future," said Taylor in a statement.

The Kings' already lengthy training camp roster got longer Thursday with the addition of three defensemen and a winger who played in the minor leagues last season. The question is, though, when will the list be further extended with the addition of defensemen Mattias Norstrom and Aki Berg and winger Glen Murray?

Coach Larry Robinson declared it was his fault the Kings left the FleetCenter on Monday with a 4-4 tie against the Boston Bruins instead of a victory, but goaltender Stephane Fiset insisted he should be blamed for not stopping Boston's last two goals. Although there was blame to share, there were also several praiseworthy moments in a performance that enabled the Kings (6-6-3) to complete a 2-0-2 trip and extend their unbeaten streak to 2-0-3 overall.

Dressed to ward off the winter chill on a bright, clear day in lower Manhattan, their hearts in their throats, the Kings stood rapt Tuesday at the site of the World Trade Center tragedy. John P. Codiglia, a deputy inspector for the New York Police Department and their guide for the day, detailed the events of Sept. 11 and the aftermath. He told them of the recent discovery of the badly decomposed body of a fallen comrade.

Mathieu Schneider has been antsy, watching his new teammates practice while he sat or skated virtually alone, a groin strain inhibiting his blending into his new surroundings. On Sunday night, the Kings assimilated their new defenseman into the power play, and he showed why they are paying him $2 million on a one-year contract with assists that set up goals by Rob Blake and Ziggy Palffy in a 4-0 win over the Mighty Ducks at Staples Center before an announced 11,015.

According to Gordon Gekko of "Wall Street," greed is good. The Kings are particularly greedy this season after having a taste of success only five months ago. And of failure, courtesy of the St. Louis Blues, who swept them in the first round of the NHL playoffs. "I think just making the playoffs this year, we can't be satisfied with that," King Coach Larry Robinson says. "We've got to set our goals higher.

Creative Artists Agency senior executive Sandy Climan was hired Thursday as an executive vice president of MCA Inc., the first high-level departure from the agency since former Chairman Michael S. Ovitz announced in August that he is leaving to join Walt Disney Co. Climan's exit had been expected in the wake of the Ovitz departure, but the destination was a surprise to Hollywood executives.

Mathieu Schneider has been antsy, watching his new teammates practice while he sat or skated virtually alone, a groin strain inhibiting his blending into his new surroundings. On Sunday night, the Kings assimilated their new defenseman into the power play, and he showed why they are paying him $2 million on a one-year contract with assists that set up goals by Rob Blake and Ziggy Palffy in a 4-0 win over the Mighty Ducks at Staples Center before an announced 11,015.

Andy Murray, who never met a saying, motto, slogan or mantra he didn't like, draws the line at one used by every incoming leader since Joshua fought the battle of Jericho: "All jobs are open." As bad as the Kings were last season, and at 32-45-5 they were bad enough to get Larry Robinson fired and Murray hired as coach, some jobs already will be filled when training camp begins with physical examinations today and skating Sunday at Iceoplex in North Hills.

The Kings' already lengthy training camp roster got longer Thursday with the addition of three defensemen and a winger who played in the minor leagues last season. The question is, though, when will the list be further extended with the addition of defensemen Mattias Norstrom and Aki Berg and winger Glen Murray?

According to Gordon Gekko of "Wall Street," greed is good. The Kings are particularly greedy this season after having a taste of success only five months ago. And of failure, courtesy of the St. Louis Blues, who swept them in the first round of the NHL playoffs. "I think just making the playoffs this year, we can't be satisfied with that," King Coach Larry Robinson says. "We've got to set our goals higher.

Coach Larry Robinson declared it was his fault the Kings left the FleetCenter on Monday with a 4-4 tie against the Boston Bruins instead of a victory, but goaltender Stephane Fiset insisted he should be blamed for not stopping Boston's last two goals. Although there was blame to share, there were also several praiseworthy moments in a performance that enabled the Kings (6-6-3) to complete a 2-0-2 trip and extend their unbeaten streak to 2-0-3 overall.

Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster, the nation's leading ticketing firm, has contracted with L.A.'s under-construction Staples Center to provide ticketing for all events, effective when the arena opens in fall of 1999. The exclusive, long-term deal includes home games of the Kings hockey team and the Lakers and Clippers basketball teams. Ticketmaster currently tickets those games at the Great Western Forum and the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Bruce McNall, the owner of the Kings hockey team, and Wayne Gretzky, his highest-paid player, are close to buying the Toronto Argonauts, according to Harry Ornest, the owner of the Canadian Football League team. McNall was traveling Monday and couldn't be reached for comment, but Ornest, who bought the Argonauts in 1988 for an estimated $5 million, said from Toronto that a deal with McNall and Gretzky might be completed within a month.